The Way You Look Tonight (And Every Night Before)
by Scarlett Oakenshield
Summary: Mobtale! When rain keeps Mettaton from going home after a show, mobster Papyrus du Font offers to share his umbrella. And what was meant to be a simple walk home quickly becomes one to remember in ways both good and bad. (I was pracitcing the Mobtale aesthetic for a fic I will be starting. And in re-reading it, I decided to post it.) Enjoy!


**_A/N: Totally forgot the point of this...but...I thought I'd share it anyway. I was messing around with Mobtale. So yeah... Enjoy the Papyton...I guess?_**

The Way You Look Tonight (And Every Night Before)

The rap-tat-tat of the rain was merciless against the slick concrete. The drops pattered hard against the ground, and the darkening sky was an overcast gray. The rain had let up earlier, for a short while, so the lingering after-rain scent-- the fresh, crisp scent that was so very pleasant, was still in the air, but the rain itself had presently picked up again. The drops were hitting the ground harder now, pattering against the cracked pavement and the rough asphalt roads, and hammering the walls and rooftops of buildings around the city. It sounded like drummers drumming their wooden sticks softly against drum heads. There was a slight chill in the air.

The vintage cars and carriages sped across the slippery roads, going faster than they should have for the current conditions. The flickering signs and lights from the theatres, shops, and buildings shown brightly against the darkness created by the rain. Crowds and figures moved hastily about on the both sides of the streets, with their coats and furs pulled taught over them, with various hats--fedoras, derbys, gamblers, homburgs, cloches, etcetera-- pulled over their heads. They hugged their coats around them, and kept their heads down, feet splashing through puddles as they tried to escape the rain. Some of the more fortunate folk had umbrellas over their heads, so they did not have to move with quite as much haste.

No one paid much attention to anyone else, they were all focused from getting from point A to point B, out of the rain as quick as possible. Home from work, anxious and hungry for dinner.

Even so, the city was ever noisy, and ever bustling, despite the rain.

Presently, across the street, placed abstractly, yet cleverly between the "Librarby" and the "Snowed Inn", a small, two story speakeasy could be seen. It was overshadowed by the two large, brightly lit buildings that surrounded it on either side. It would go unnoticed by any passerby. The old, worn sign that read "Grillby's" was flickering, threatening to go out completely at any moment in time. The flame monster had been meaning to get that repaired.

Inside, monsters in their drunken stupor were being paraded out, as the shift had ended and it was closing time. The young flappers had left the stage awhile ago, and were currently in the backstage dressing rooms, preparing to go home to get some much needed sleep after a long night of dancing and socializing.

The last one that had stepped down from the stage was a tall, lean, young figure. The performer was one that was adored by everyone. Admired by everyone. He was loved for his flamboyant, flirtatious, lively, enthusiastic performances of upbeat swing, and unforgettable dance moves. He was loved because he defied everything that was deemed "politically correct" and "socially acceptable". He was loved and known as the primly dressed figure who wore black pinstripe suits over fuschia button downs while he sang adaptations of the latest Frank Sinatra tunes, as well as other popular artists, and songs of his own compositions. And he was loved as the beautiful flapper in the backless black dresses, feather headbands, and pink feather boas. He was a local favorite. All of the monsters who lived in the city adored him. All of the monsters that lived in the city knew him: Mettaton. He was a local celebrity. A rising star.

Even more impressive, was the fact that he was a beautifully designed humanoid robot. With feminine curves and the silkiest raven hair, cut short, in the curly bob hairstyle that touched the nape of his metallic neck. His fringe covered right eye. That left exposed only his left eye, with a lid that was always covered with either pink or black eyeshadow, with a thick wing and swooping, long eyelashes. In the corner of his eye, right below it, was a tiny heart that he had had painted permanently on a long time ago. The eye make-up made the fuschia color pop. It also matched his bottom lip, whereas the top lip was always black silicon. The wild stage appearance stood out against his pale, metal face, making all of his dazzling features stand out.

There wasn't anyone in the monster part of the shared city that did not know him. And there was no question about the fact that he was an absolute heartthrob. All of his fans adored him, and the feeling was very mutual. Every evening, despite his exhausted state in desperate need to charge his batteries, he exited the stage waving and blowing kisses, with a frenzy of cheers behind him, and flowers, and various other gifts thrown his way. He would fetch them later.

-xXx-

Mettaton slipped off backstage and walked into his private, very decorated dressing room. He sat down at his vanity, plugged himself into the wall to charge, and began to take off some of the excess, smudged make up. He took the messy pink eyeshadow off of his eyes, but left on the thick gel liner, and the smudged, faded pink lipstick. He was going home after this, but he did not want to be seen in public without makeup, even if it was dark and quite late when barely anyone would be out.

He finished taking off his makeup and then leaned back in his chair, propping his well-toned, tights-covered legs up on the surface of the vanity and sighed with a contented smile, resting his gloved hands on the back of his head. He felt quite satisfied, despite being incredibly tired as he was. However, once he charged up again, his exhaustion would quickly be remedied and he could go home to his apartment.

It didn't take long until he felt charged enough to get up again. He hadn't charged fully, but enough to get him home. He would fully shut down and charge overnight for performances the next day.

He got up and turned to exit the speakeasy out the back door. However, when he opened it, he was met by harsh rain slapping against the ground.

"Lovely. The one day it rains I give my assistant the day off and tell him to take my car." He sighed, "And I didn't bring my umbrella." It hadn't been raining when he had arrived earlier, in fact the sky had been bright blue. He had thought the weather forecast on the radio had been wrong, so he hadn't felt the need to grab one on his way out.

Seeing no point in staying back stage in his tiny dressing room, he made his way out into the main part of the speakeasy. Everyone was gone now, that was save for Grillby at his counter and one single figure sitting at a small square table. Everything had been cleared away, and it looked like the diner that was it's facade.

Mettaton recognized the figure at the table immediately. The tall, lanky, handsome skeleton with the fedora, red button down, black suspenders, and dark brown pinstripe pants. He had seen him many a time, and he was the son of the mob boss that had hired the humanoid robot to work at Grillby's. He was very sweet, Mettaton's favorite fan. He would be at the speakeasy as much as he could when he knew Mettaton was performing. He would have liked to attend all the shows if he could have, but as the son of a mob boss, he had a lot of work to do and he wasn't always present when Mettaton had his solo performances.

Mettaton looked forward to the days where he would see him, and when he was there, the robot would go out of his way to make his performances extra flashy and flamboyant to ensure that the skeleton saw him. He also made sure to look at him and pull flirtatious expressions, in a desperate attempt to make the adorable skeleton blush orange. And when he could, he would try to talk to him, since he and his brother were seen at Grillby's often.

Mettaton smiled at Grillby and then crossed over to the table where the skeleton was sitting.

"Hello, Papyrus darling." the robot star greeted, coming over to the skeleton's side.

"M-Mettaton, hi!" his white face dusted with orange blush when they met gazes, "You were amazing tonight...as usual!"

"Why thank you, darling." Mettaton replied, "May I sit down?"

"Of course!" Papyrus got up immediately, and pulled the chair out beside him.

"Thank you, sweetie." Mettaton smiled at the skeleton as he took his seat beside him. Papyrus pushed the chair in, before sitting down in his own chair. He rested his arms on the wood of the table, and the fur coat he wore slid off one shoulder, "I can't go anywhere so as long as it's raining. I'll short circuit. I might as well take the time to relax."

"I, the Great Papyrus, will stay and keep you company because I am a great friend!"

"Thank you, darling. But are you sure your father won't mind?"

"He's fine with it! He gave me the day off today so I could come watch your show!"

Mettaton smiled. W.D. Gaster was a bit rough around the edges, and a cold, clever mob boss, but he did have a good heart when it came to the monsters. He was very passionate about protecting them all, and he would do it no matter what it took. That in itself was the reason the human mobs feared him.

"Hey Grillby!" Papyrus exclaimed, "Can I have a glass of water?"

"Yes. Of course." the flame monster replied.

"Mettaton, would you like anything?" Papyrus inquired.

"Oh, no thank you darling."

"Okay! I just thought I'd ask!" He responded jovially, with his wide, toothy smile.

Mettaton returned the expression. He had known Papyrus for a while now, and his presence always filled him with joy and warmth. No matter how bad of a day he had or how bitter of a mood he was in, the enthusiastic younger skeleton brother always brightened it up with his enthusiastic, unique, raspy, high-pitched voice and his bright smile.

"Where did your brother go off to, if I may ask?" Mettaton asked curiously. He was surprised that he did not see the short, stocky, blue-suited, fedora wearing, cigar-smoking skeleton with his younger brother.

"He had some work to do for the boss." Papyrus replied.

"Ahh. I see."

"S-so Mettaton how are you?"

"I'm well. Thank you."

They shot the breeze for a while. They hadn't talked as much lately, and had very much missed one another's company.

-xXx-

After a while, Mettaton got up and crossed over to the window. The rain was still slapping the ground and the glass of the windowpane.

"It's supposed to rain all through the night." Grillby said.

"Lovely." Mettaton groaned sarcastically, "That means I can't go home."

"I can walk you home if you'd like!" Papyrus blurted out, "I mean...I have an umbrella, you can share it with me. Also...it is not safe for monsters to be out alone."

It was true, discrimination and racial violence was a problem everywhere, especially closer to the Inner City (The monsters lived in communities in the rundown Outer City). There was also the fact that society these days was run by the mobs. The monster and human mobs did make deals and trades, but tension was thick as mud, and they did not trust each other. Additionally, gang violence was a huge issue, and there had been an unpleasant number of casualties. Oh, and of course the law enforcement was always on their a*es, which added more insult to injury. Truth be told, nowhere was safe for anyone to be alone. And everyone knew it. And it was most dangerous for monsters. Everyone was to avoid going out alone at all costs.

Mettaton smiled warmly, "Oh, that's very sweet of you, gorgeous." he said, "Thank you."

Papyrus blushed deeper.

"Should we get going now?"

"Yes. You're right. It is getting quite late."

"Of course I am! The Great Papyrus is always right!" the skeleton declared, "Well, Grillby, it looks like we're going now! See you later!"

"Stay safe, kiddos." the flame monster replied. Papyrus pulled his long, tan coat off the coat rack beside the door and pulled it on. He then picked up the umbrella from the holder. Mettaton followed after, pulling his long fur coat back over his shoulders, and putting his fuschia cloche on. Papyrus opened the door, holding it for the dress-wearing robot. He smiled as Papyrus followed him out, letting the door swing closed behind him.

Mettaton waited under the overhang as Papyrus opened up the umbrella. He stayed on the outside, closest to the street, with the performer on the inside, in order to shield him from any unfriendly water droplets that could splash him.

Before they got going, Mettaton wrapped his arm around Papyrus's humerus, so as to ensure he could stay close enough to him to ensure he did not exit the cover of the umbrella.

"W-wowie, Mettaton..." He seemed to be shocked by the sudden closeness.

"You don't mind, do you?" the robot questioned, "This'll ensure that I have a lesser chance of getting wet if I hold onto you like this."

"No! Not at all! I was just a little surprised. I mean…I'm not really used to people holding me so closely like this so..."

"Shall I let go?"

"No! D-don't...I mean...it's kind of…it feels..." Mettaton's fur-clad arm was warm against Papyrus's humerus bone, and he could feel his soul fluttering and shining with joy.

"Nice?"

"Yeah! That's what it feels like, it feels nice. You are a genius, Mettaton! You read my mind!"

The robot smiled.

"Should we go?"

"Yes, darling. My apartment is a few blocks down, it isn't all that far. We just continue down the hill, and I'll tell you where to turn."

"Okay."

-xXx-

They started off down the street, the heels of their shoes clicking across the wet pavement. As they walked they listened to the rain, keeping themselves pressed up against one another, trying not to trip in the darkness of the gray night. They remained in a companionable silence, Mettaton only spoke when he was giving directions, and they would ever so often smile at one another and exchange glances. It seemed that one would want to say something, but then he would grow too shy and simply smile, light blush feathering his cheeks.

The city lights lit up their faces with an ethereal sort of glow, casted upon them in a romantic hue. Papyrus, with his pure white grin, and the slight glint in the bits of orange from his telekinesis magic dancing like flames, or like stars, inside the eye hollows of his skull.

 _He's so handsome_. Mettaton thought.

Mettaton meanwhile, literally glowed, due to his metallic face. The glow came, most notably, from the silver face plates. In the dim, Papyrus could see the shine in his fuchsia artificial eyes that appeared to be so lifelike. It was almost as if there was actual life inside the robot's casing, instead of the AI that Alphys had said he was when she completed him. He looked different today, but it was a good different. He had taken off his wild stage makeup. The only makeup he wore now was some eyeliner in a thick wing, and a dusting of very light grey eyeshadow on his eyelid, black silicon on his top lip, and lingering glitter on his pale cheeks. His dark hair wonderfully framed his angular face, whisping in dark waves around it. He was quite pretty to say the least. His smile was sweet and gentle, and his appearance filled Papyrus with an unfamiliar yet beautiful feeling. It was a warm and fuzzy sensation that made his heart flutter. He blushed so easily with Mettaton now.

 _What is this strange feeling?_ Papyrus wondered to himself, _I feel it everytime I'm around him and I don't quite get it. It's confusing. I wonder if Sans knows what it is…? Maybe Dad? I could ask him…? Ahh...I don't know what it is...but I think I like it._

They continued walking. Papyrus was lost in his own thoughts, and Mettaton was darting his fuschia gaze around, surveying the city lit up by buildings and streetlights. Even though it was raining, there was still something beautiful about it, despite the terrible weather.

They were on the pier now, walking along the railing, with the ocean on one side of them. It smelled of salt and fish, as it usually did, and a cool breeze radiated off of the surface, but the sound of the rain slapping the pavement masked out the distant noise of the waves crashing rhythmically upon the shore. And beside them, the water looked like a wide, vast expanse of darkness.

In fact, all around them was emptiness. Loud silence. They had made their way towards the outskirts of Outer City. It was completely dead back here. It was too quiet, and it was very dark. There were old, eerie, rundown unused buildings, cracked pavement, and debris in the roads. Graffiti on walls. The outskirts had not been inhabited in quite sometime. However, there was a subtle, lingering reek of smoke in the air. It was a familiar smell that Papyrus could not stand.

"Oh my," Mettaton looked around the unfamiliar setting, "It seems that we took a wrong turn…I don't remember the way from here…"

Papyrus surveyed the area around him. "It's okay. We can go back the way we came."

Gently pulling at Mettaton's sleeve, Papyrus turned them the other way, and they continued walking. Unease was very prominent, radiating off of them and feeling the air with an unsettling eeriness. What filled the air with even more unease was the fact that the rain had let up, so it was completely dead silent.

Papyrus felt Mettaton's grip tighten around his arm. The young mobster kept a straight posture, keeping a steady hand ready on his gun.

His sharp senses told him immediately that they needed to increase their haste. It seemed that Mettaton sensed it too.

"Papyrus…"

"Come on, let's hurry outta here."

A loud noise suddenly sounded from behind them. Both stiffened immediately. Papyrus whipped around and pointed the gun, pushing Mettaton behind him.

A surprised cry filled the air, and he felt Mettaton yanked roughly from him. He whipped around immediately to find that one of the humans had the robotic star surrounded, and was restraining him, with a gun pointed to his head. Papyrus was about to shoot, when a couple of other humans took him by surprise and tightly restrained him. His weapon, and his umbrella fell from his grasp. He realized then, that a group of figures had surrounded them. They chuckled lowly, and began speaking.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here? Ya monsters are too far from home ain't ya?"

Papyrus's eyes narrowed. And he realized that they were being surrounded by a ragtag group of about six humans. As they closed in, the acrid smell of smoke and booze burned Papyrus's nose and thickly filled the air.

"Too far." said another.

"This is our turf. And we all know what happens when...unwanted guests cross onto our turf, don't we?"

The sound of a gun cocking split the air, and Papyrus felt the cold metal against his temporal bone. _Sh*t!_

A man, who must have been the leader of this ragtag gang stepped out in between Mettaton and Papyrus. He crossed toward the robotic star.

"Well, yer a pretty thing, aren't ya?" He spoke. He reached him, and creepily caressed and touched his face. Mettaton's glowing fuchsia eye narrowed, "I might have ta take ya for myself."

Papyrus felt his anger began boil deep inside and struggled to pull free from the grasp of the two humans who restrained him. One of the men who had a hold on him roughly tightened his grip.

"Ya move, and she gets it." One of the men who restrained Mettaton spoke.

 _Oh. H*l no. He DID NOT._

Mettaton, however, spoke for himself.

"Excuse me!?" he exclaimed, "But I am a MAN!" He dug his heel-clad foot into the top of the man's restraining him, then he back-kicked him. Distracted, his grip loosened enough for Mettaton to rip free. He balled his metal fist and struck the leader in the face. Then he pulled out his gun and shot both of them, point blank, in the legs. Both buckled to the ground. The third man that was not partaking in restraining, attempted to shoot at the robot, but he either dodged the bullets or they bounced off his metal body like they were nothing.

Seeing the distraction, Papyrus took this as an opportunity to act as well. He broke free from his captors just as easily as Mettaton had. He too picked up his gun, and shot his captor. This left three of them. Papyrus and Mettaton backed into one another and shot at the others. They were sharper though, and they were able to dodge the bullets like nothing. The air exploded into a brief gunfight. The humans were good at dodging, yes, but the two monsters were better trained. They downed the remaining three men in the same way they had the others before. Then, Papyrus summoned bones, and threw them to impale each of the men. It was not enough to kill them, but they did enough damage to stop any further attacks.

With the enemies beat, Papyrus immediately took Mettaton by the hand, and took off running off in the direction they'd come.

Once the humans were far behind them, They came to a stop, underneath the old rusty overhang on the side of a building and caught their breaths, chest heaving.

Once he had found his breath again, Papyrus put away his gun and began frantically checking Mettaton to make sure that he was okay.

"Mettaton, are you alright? Are you hurt at all? Do you need any food? I have some in my pocket."

Smiling at the skeleton's genuine concern, he responded, "I'm alright. I'm not hurt. Are you alright?"

"Yes. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"Yes Papy dear, I'm completely fine, honest." Except he wasn't. His head was spinning and he was seeing double, and he was completely exhausted. He knew he was about to run out of battery.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good--I m-mean that...you l-look exhausted."

He was not able to respond. One step and he stumbled forward into Papyrus's chest.

"Mettaton!" Papyrus caught him in his arms (and he was heavier than he had anticipated). Unresponsive and still, he was limp in the skeleton's grasp, and the gun he had hung loosely in his hand. And Papyrus began to low-key panic. What if Mettaton was actually severely hurt? What if he turned to dust on his watch? Then he would be held responsible for the lovable star's death and he'd never forgive himself. He would disown himself and leave the mob.

However, his worried thoughts dissipated when the robot's half-closed eyes met with his, and his voice, suddenly very slow and drawn out said, "Battery…"

He sighed of relief.

"Here, wrap your arms around my neck and shoulders. I've got ya."

Mettaton's cold metal arms wrapped around him, and the skeleton hoisted him up in a bridal style carry. His head lolled against Papyrus's chest, and he shut himself down.

-xXx-

Mettaton awoke again to the sound of rain hammering windows, to disocver he was lying in a soft bed, in a dark, unfamiliar room. He also immediately sensed a cold temperature on his shoulders that he realized had been shed of his long fur coat, whilst his cloche had been taken off. He sat up, and realized he had been plugged into a wall to charge. He also realized, once his keen eyes adjusted to the light, that his handgun was lying on the bed table beside him. Upon even further investigation, he saw that his coat and cloche were in the corner of the room, hanging on a rack that also held a fedora, a derby, and a boater hat, as well as a coat, all decidedly familiar. He swung his legs over the bed, preparing to step on the ground, when his feet touched something hard. And it moved. He pulled his legs back onto the mattress as a figure shot up immediately.

"Wha? Dad, did you need something?"

Mettaton smiled affectionately. Apparently, Papyrus had made a makeshift bed out of the rug on the floor and, he assumed, had fallen asleep watching over him to make sure he was alright. The entertainer found this quite cute. His technology was very advanced for this day and age, so it only made sense everyone except Alphys was unsure about how it worked.

The permanent grin on his face seemed to grow bigger when he saw him, and he was suddenly wide awake.

"Oh, Mettaton! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine now that I'm recharged, darling." he replied,"...What time is it now?"

"Hmm," The skeleton pulled a pocket watch out of his waistcoat and glanced at the time. And Mettaton watched his face pull into an adorable flustered expression. "It's too dark to see." Papyrus declared.

Mettaton quickly solved the problem by clicking on the lamp on the nightstand.

"Thanks." Papyrus said, before once again peering at the watch, "It's nearly 5 AM. It'll be dawn soon."

"Oh dear!" Mettaton exclaimed, "I've been gone all night! Poor darling Blooky must be worried sick!"

"There's a phone downstairs if you need to call someone."

"Thank you, but they're probably already asleep...I'm just going to head home right now."

The rain outside was suddenly very loud again.

"Sh*t." Mettaton exclaimed, "It had to start raining again, didn't it."

"That's no problem, we can take my car. That way you don't have to walk home in the rain."

"I'd appreciate that, darling."

"Alright then. We should get going in that case." He stood up and began putting on his coat and hat again, and then took his keys from the top of his dresser. Mettaton unplugged his charging chord and put it away, and then got off what he realized was Papyrus's bed, grabbed his gun from the top of the nightstand, and took his fur coat and cloche from the coat rack.

Papyrus clicked off the light, and they made their way quietly down the stairs of the _Du Font_ mansion, as neither of the other two members of the _Du Font_ household would fancy being woken up before 5:30. Papyrus grabbed an umbrella from the basket at the door, and they walked out towards the car.

Once they had reached it, Papyrus unlocked the door, and then opened the passenger side for Mettaton to get in. And, like a gentleman or a chauffeur, once the dress-wearing performer was in, he closed the door for him. After ensuring he was comfortable and secure, Papyrus closed the umbrella, tossed it in the back, and climbed into the driver's seat. He started the car, turned on the wipers, and drove off into the night.

-xXx-

The drive was spent in a comfortable silence, as they watched the rain slap against the windows, and listened to the faint jazz music playing on the radio.

Eventually though, Papyrus broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for what happened with the humans earlier." he apologized sincerely.

"It's alright, darling. It wasn't your fault. Not to mention, we certainly showed them not to mess with us."

"Nyeh heh heh. We sure did.." the skeleton replied, "You certainly know how to kick a*s. You're an amazing fighter. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of your attacks."

Mettaton laughed, "Yes, I know. It was fun, actually. And you're not so bad yourself. You looked pretty hot kicking their hineys too."

Papyrus stuttered, no doubt blushing. "W-Well of course! I am the Great Papyrus after all!"

A comfortable silence filled the car again.

-xXx-

The ride didn't take long, and soon, they were parked in front of Mettaton's apartment complex. Papyrus parked the car, and got out, walking around to the back to fetch the umbrella. Then he opened the passenger side door, taking Mettaton's hand, helping him out, as well as making sure he stayed underneath the umbrella the entire time.

"Such a gentleman, Papy dear~" Mettaton cooed.

The skeleton was glad that it was hard to see in the dark. He didn't want to be caught blushing.

"Of course I am! After all, I, the Great Papyrus, cannot be matched with my excessive amount of chivalry."

Chuckling, Mettaton once again took hold of Papy's arm and the mobster walked him inside the complex.

"Well, here we are. Safe at home." Papyrus closed and shook off the excess water from the umbrella.

"Thank you again, darling. It was a pleasure to spend the evening with you. I'd love to do it again sometime."

"I-I would like that very much too, Mettaton!"

"Glad to hear that." Upon saying this, the star bent his head forward and kissed the skeleton on the cheek. He stiffened, and blushed.

A warm smile crossed the robot's face in the dim light of the apartment lobby, "That was a little thank you kiss for getting me home safely."

"W-well...Yes! You're very welcome!"

"I'll see you at my show this evening, yeah?"

"Yes! Of course! I will most definitely be there."

"I look forward to our second date, darling." Mettaton sing-songed. And with that, he turned and started towards the staircase to get up to his apartment. However, he glanced over his shoulder once last time, "Goodbye for now, Papy dear~" And he was gone.

S-second date!? The Great Papyrus was happily confused, yet very much looking forward to seeing his favorite star this evening more than ever.


End file.
